Wales – Poland

Poland don’t look like outsiders against Wales

On Tuesday, 26 March, all participants of the European Championship will be determined. Wales and Poland will play in one of the pairs. The teams look equal before the match with no margin for error. Wales made it to the decisive playoffs through the Nations League. The team deserved to play in the knockout matches without doing anything special to do so. In the Nations League, the Welsh were in the top division, where they picked up one point in six matches. The ticket went to Wales as the other teams from that league went to the Euros through qualification. In the qualifying cycle the Welsh already looked stronger, but the level of opponents was lower. The main success is the victory over Croatia at home. The other issue is that Wales were not even close to being stable: the team conceded four goals against Armenia, while Latvia were beaten in a tough game. Wales beautifully defeated Finland in the first leg. At the same time, it is worth emphasising exactly the weakness of the opponent. Such an easy encounter will definitely not happen in the final. Poland is in a very difficult position, but there is a feeling that the lowest point is still passed. The national team changed the coach during the failed qualification. Now the national team is led by local specialist Michal Probej. He has no reputation in Europe, known only for his work in his home country. This is an emergency option after the failure of the team under the leadership of the star Portuguese Fernando Santos. The Poles now have a defensive orientated scheme. Probej has chosen a formation with three centre-backs. This gives a certain foundation to the national team. In attack, the main hopes are still linked with Robert Lewandowski. Forward is in great shape. This is the best player in the two national teams. Also stands out a talented dribbler Frankowski. He is the leader in the number of successful circumventions in the French championship. Zalewski from Roma is also a very individually strong footballer. The centre of the pitch is controlled by Zielinski, one of the best supporting midfielders in Europe. Poland got a very passable opponent in the first match in the person of Estonia. The Baltics actually got into qualification by accident because of the extra quota in the top league. Poland scored five goals. It is clear that the game was a warm-up game. The closer to the match, the more the bookmakers highlight the hosts as favourites. The line-up doesn't look obvious. Wales have a lot of weaknesses. The Welsh are clearly inferior in terms of individual skills. Plus, the rivals have recently played in the same Nations League: Poland won both matches. The Welsh have almost half of their main squad playing in the Championship. It is doubtful that the team will have a serious advantage.